As moderator, I was trying to listen to panelists' answers, formulate the next question, and scribble down notes. We'll be posting a video of the discussion soon, but in the mean time, here are a few of my key takeaways (also pictures are here):

For ABC, no economic parity for broadband-delivered shows vs. traditional on-air delivery yet, but progress is happening - Albert opened the discussion with an update on ABC.com's profitability. He said that broadband-delivered programs are profitable on a gross margin basis, but that they are not yet as profitable as when viewed on-air. He resisted using the "analog dollars, digital pennies" reference, instead saying it's like comparing "a teenager to a full-grown adult." (I'm still trying to decode that as well)

Albert noted that ABC thinks of itself as a multiplatform entertainment company, with numerous distribution avenues, not simply a traditional broadcaster any longer. That's a distinction that it believes will keep it from facing the dire situation newspapers are now in. Albert said that newspapers trouble began because they didn't pay sufficient attention to changing consumer behaviors and respond effectively, whereas broadcast networks are proactively trying to stay out in front. One example he provided is that in the U.S. where ABC's programs are available online, it has measured file-sharing at just 4% of overall views. Preempting the file-sharing alternative is big win for preserving its ad model.

Cord-cutting not happening, cable's subscription value proposition to grow - "Cord-cutting" or dropping your cable/satellite/telco service in favor of online-only viewing, has become part of the market's mythology. Even some cable CEOs have propagated it. Yet Karin echoed recent Comcast statements that cord-cutting is not yet happening in any significant way. Comcast (and others) will build more value into the subscription by offering online access to cable programming. That's a "natural extension to their business," which was a key theme I heard from all panelists. Cable networks should be excited about this plan, and Greg reminded us there's a strong "culture of collaboration" in the cable industry.

2009 will be a tough year for standalone aggregators - There was strong consensus on the panel that online-only aggregators will struggle in '09 (this was one of my year-end predictions as well). The reasons for this included not getting a big enough share of the ad pie, not having an existing business to grow from, not being able to differentiate, etc. This was a very hot space for investors just a year ago, now it looks like it's going cold.

The "democratization of video" only goes so far - The panel cautioned that the appeal of broadband's openness allowing everyone to be video producer and reach their audiences only goes so far. The realities are that it's difficult to build audience and generate ad dollars. A goal for many independent broadband producers will still be to get on TV, where most consumption happens. A side conversation I had with someone who's very involved with various indies confirmed much of this and predicted a shakeout in this space will be coming as well.

Broadband ad model has a lot of maturing to do - While the broadband ad model has come a long way, it has a lot further to go. Daina provided lots of insights on the challenges of shifting TV ad dollars to broadband. She noted that many agencies still split their online and TV media buying and research teams, making integrated pitches and pricing difficult. Greg described the "happy place" everyone is striving for where broadband ad revenues become large enough to really augment traditional ad revenues, but quickly reminded us that day is a long ways off. He and Albert agreed there needs to be more collaboration among content providers to demonstrate the value of the broadband medium.

There was lots more, but I'll leave it at this for now. If you attended and have other observations, please leave a comment!

Over 250 people came out last night for VideoNuze's Broadband Video Leadership Evening in NYC, with a great cross-section of media and technology companies in attendance. For me it was great to actually meet people in person who I've only known from email and phone exchanges.

The panel covered a lot of ground including how broadcast networks are trying to achieve economic parity for online viewing vs. on-air viewing of their programs, if/how/when more cable networks' programming will find its way online, what changes must occur for advertisers to shift more of their spending to broadband video, why it's hard and getting harder for independent video producers to succeed online and why '09 is going to bring a shakeout to video aggregators.

Today I'm at the Media Summit (waiting now for the Jeff Zucker keynote interview), so I'll hold off until later summarizing my conclusions from the panel. I also have plenty of pictures, and we'll try to get the video posted shortly as well.

The session is titled "Broadband Video '09: Building the Road to Profitability" and we have tons of topics to discuss. I'm looking forward to hearing all of the panelists weigh in with their insights and experience. There will be ample time for audience Q&A as well.

If you're planning to attend, I encourage you to come early, as there are over 290 people now registered, and it's going to be a bit chaotic. For those of you unable to come, we'll be recording the entire event and will post the video as soon as possible. I'll also try to share some key takeaways and pictures in tomorrow's VideoNuze email.

We're less than a week away from VideoNuze's Broadband Video Leadership Evening, on Tuesday, March 17th in New York City. There are over 230 people now registered and I expect it to be a high-energy evening of networking with industry colleagues and learning from our panel of top-tier digital media executives. (And yes, in honor of St. Patrick's Day, Guinness will be available at the bar...)

Lots of great media and technology companies will have people in attendance. In addition to the list I posted last week, companies represented include: Akamai, Babelgum, blinkx, Clearleap, Dolby, FAST, 5Min, Google, HealthiNation, Hearst-Argyle, Kaltura, NeuLion, Ogilvy, Sezmi, Starz, thePlatform, Tremor Media and many others.

We'll start with a "VideoSchmooze" cocktail/networking reception from 6pm - 7:30pm, followed by a panel discussion I'll moderate from 7:30pm - 9pm titled, "Broadband Video '09: Building the Road to Profitability." The panel includes:

I've set up a Facebook group so you can start meeting other attendees and also keep up to date on all the recent broadband news we'll discuss on the panel. Yesterday I contributed a column to MediaPost which outlines the challenges and opportunities broadcast networks face in the broadband era, a key topic of our discussion.

We're less than 2 weeks away from VideoNuze's Broadband Video Leadership Evening, on Tuesday, March 17th in New York City. There are over 170 people registered and the event will be an outstanding opportunity to meet industry colleagues and hear from top-tier digital media executives on the front lines of the video revolution.

Lots of great media and technology companies will have people in attendance, including: A&E Television Networks, Atlas Media, Avail Media, Carat, Cisco, Comcast, Conde Nast, Fox, FreeWheel, HBO, Metacafe, NBCU, Ooyala, Panache, Rainbow Networks, Readers Digest, Showtime, Swarmcast, WorldNow, Yahoo and many others. We also have a strong contingent of media coming to cover the event.

We'll start with a "VideoSchmooze" cocktail/networking reception from 6pm - 7:30pm, followed by a panel discussion I'll moderate from 7:30pm - 9pm titled, "Broadband Video '09: Building the Road to Profitability." The panel includes:

The event will be held at the magnificent Hudson Theater on West 44th Street just off Times Square. NATPE, VideoNuze's partner since launch, is on board for the event. And I'm extremely grateful to lead sponsor Move Networks and supporting sponsors AnySource Media, ExtendMedia, Horn Group, mPoint and PermissionTV who are making the evening possible.

I've set up a Facebook group so you can start meeting other attendees and also keep up to date on all the recent broadband news we'll discuss on the panel. I also created a short video with key highlights of the evening (thanks to PermissionTV for production assistance).

A reminder that early bird discount tickets will expire tomorrow for VideoNuze's next event, the Broadband Video Leadership Evening, on Tuesday, March 17th in New York City. The event will be a premier opportunity to meet industry colleagues and learn from top-tier digital media executives on the front lines of the video revolution.

We'll start with a "VideoSchmooze" cocktail/networking reception from 6pm - 7:30pm, followed by a panel discussion I'll moderate from 7:30pm - 9pm titled, "Broadband Video '09: Building the Road to Profitability." The panel includes:

A reminder that early bird discounts will end next Fri, Feb. 20th for VideoNuze's next event, the Broadband Video Leadership Evening on Tuesday, March 17th in New York City. If you're trying to make sense of the noise and excitement of the rapidly-evolving video landscape, this event is a must-attend. But why pay full fare - register today to get the early bird discount!

The evening will start with a "VideoSchmooze" cocktail/networking reception from 6pm - 7:30pm, followed by a panel discussion I'll moderate from 7:30pm - 9pm titled, "Broadband Video '09: Building the Road to Profitability." We have panel of top-tier digital media executives including:

All of these companies are industry leaders, pushing the edge of the broadband envelope. Among their recent initiatives, ABC just released consumer research about ad frequency in its player, VivaKi has launched "The Pool" with high-profile brands and content providers to improve video standards and Move just powered a live pre-telecast of the Grammy awards.

The event will be held at the Hudson Theater, a beautifully-renovated venue on West 44th Street just off Times Square. I'm pleased to have NATPE, VideoNuze's partner since launch, on board for the event. And I'm extremely grateful to lead sponsor Move Networks and supporting sponsors ExtendMedia, Horn Group, mPoint and PermissionTV who are making the evening possible.

I've set up a Facebook group so you can start meeting other attendees and also keep up to date on all the recent broadband news we'll discuss on the panel. Friend me on Facebook and you can join!

Note this event is on the evening before the start of the McGraw-Hill Media Summit in NYC; if you're coming in for that, plan accordingly to join us as well!

A reminder that early bird discounts are available for another 2 weeks for VideoNuze's next event, the Broadband Video Leadership Evening on Tuesday, March 17th in New York City. The evening will start with a "VideoSchmooze" cocktail/networking reception from 6pm - 7:30pm, followed by a panel discussion I'll moderate from 7:30pm - 9pm titled, "Broadband Video '09: Building the Road to Profitability." We have an all-star panel including:

The event will be held at the Hudson Theater, a beautifully-renovated venue on West 44th Street just off Times Square. I'm pleased to have NATPE, VideoNuze's partner since launch, on board for the event. And I'm extremely grateful to lead sponsor Move Networks and supporting sponsors ExtendMedia, mPoint and PermissionTV who are making the evening possible. Note, additional sponsorship opportunities are still available, contact me to learn more.

I've set up a Facebook group so you can start meeting other attendees and also keep up to date on all the recent broadband news we'll discuss on the panel. Friend me on Facebook and you can join!

Note this event is on the evening before the start of the McGraw-Hill Media Summit in NYC; if you're coming in for that, plan accordingly to join us as well!

Today I'm thrilled to invite you to the next VideoNuze event - the Broadband Video Leadership Evening - on Tuesday, March 17th in New York City. The evening will start with a "VideoSchmooze" cocktail/networking reception from 6pm - 7:30pm, followed by a panel discussion I'll moderate from 7:30pm - 9pm titled, "Broadband Video '09: Building the Road to Profitability." We have an A+ panel including:

The event will be held at the gorgeous Hudson Theater, a historic gem on West 44th Street just off Times Square. I'm pleased to have NATPE, VideoNuze's partner since launch, on board for the event. And I'm extremely grateful to lead sponsor Move Networks and supporting sponsor ExtendMedia (and others soon to follow) who are making the evening possible. Note, additional sponsorship opportunities are still available, contact me to learn more.

As with the last two VideoNuze events, my goals for the evening are straightforward: to enhance attendees' understanding of the broadband video market's key drivers and to create a high-quality forum for networking with industry colleagues to discover new business and personal opportunities.

In particular, unlike many other events we've all attended, where a seemingly random collection of panelists are assembled for an improvised discussion, these panelists have been hand-selected based on their specific responsibilities and their companies' roles in the broadband video ecosystem. We will have a rigorous discussion of many of the key industry issues VideoNuze covers each day. As those of you who have attended previous panels I've moderated understand, all the panelists will be well-prepared and fully engaged. There will also be ample audience Q&A time. Attendees will benefit from a unique learning experience.

Similarly, the VideoSchmooze networking reception will be a premier, focused opportunity to expand your network and pursue business and personal opportunities. As with past events, I expect a strong mix of established media and technology executives, along with early-stage startups, entrepreneurs and investors. And while VideoSchmooze is not meant to be a job fair, I do hope it can play a meaningful role in getting together some of the really terrific people who have been dislocated recently with companies that continue to hire.

In short, I'm really excited about the Broadband Video Leadership Evening, and hope you'll be able to come. Early bird discounted tickets are now available. I've also created more deeply discounted "5-Pack" and "10-Pack" tickets for those of you who expect to come with multiple colleagues. Note also that the event is being held on the eve of the 2009 McGraw-Hill Media Summit, so if you're already planning to come into town for that, please book your travel plan accordingly so you're able to join us too (I've arranged a discounted room block at the adjacent Millennium Broadway Hotel.) And yes, since March 17th is St. Patrick's Day, please feel free to wear your green!

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About VideoNuze

VideoNuze is the authoritative online source for original analysis and news aggregation focused on the burgeoning online video industry. Founded in 2007 by Will Richmond, a 20-year veteran of the broadband, cable TV, content and technology industries, VideoNuze is read by executive-level decision-makers who need to get beyond the standard headlines and achieve a deep understanding of online video’s disruptive impact.